Landscape with a Watermill, Women Washing Clothes in the Foreground c. 17th century

Editor: This is Adam Perelle's "Landscape with a Watermill, Women Washing Clothes in the Foreground." It's a small print, and I’m struck by the depiction of labor. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The etching process itself is key here. Consider the division of labor inherent in printmaking during Perelle's time. Who profited from this image of idealized labor? Was it the women washing, or Perelle and his publishers? Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered. It makes me think about consumption and the art market. Curator: Exactly! The seemingly bucolic scene obscures the economic realities of its creation and consumption. Let's think about this further.